A little over a year ago FEV – an automotive company and one of our clients – approached us with a very interesting recruitment need. They said briefly:
„We have a potential project, but we don’t have competences that meet our needs, will you help us?”
A remarkable order, the opportunity to prove ourselves and launch in the client’s company a department with competencies that have not been in the branch so far? Of course, we said “YES, WE WILL!” and started searching for Function Developer.
Function Development at FEV
The Function Development area was extremely important for the company in connection with the constantly developing electric drives and BMS (Battery Management Systems) systems in which FEV specializes.
This issue is strictly related to the software that works on the car’s electronics (engine control computer, gearbox and/or BMS), so the main premise is knowledge of automotive components. Car systems are currently at the stage of enabling internal communication, and each system works closely with one another. The challenge is to model it in the right way so that the elements interact with each other while implementing a given functionality while meeting specific safety norms and standards.
Function Developer does all this in Matlab and Simulink, with the support of the proprietary framework prepared by FEV (it generates the result code that is later flashed on microcontrollers). The conclusion is that the role of the Function Developer is not entirely computational work, but rather involves the implementation of functionality (translating the requirements of security standards and requirements into logical functionality and generating from this code).
What was the need?
The clue of activities was to find a Lead Function Developer, a person who:
- would know C/C++, C# and Java at a good level;
- would have extensive knowledge and experience in calibrating propulsion systems, electric motors and batteries;
- would know INCA software, Vector CANoe and the dSPACE platform;
- would have experience with the ISO 26262 standard and the AUTOSAR standard.
And of course, this person would be able to manage a team, because although at the beginning the Lead Function Developer would work alone, eventually he would have about three subordinates.
What was Humeo’s role in all this?
Our role in this project was to specify the client’s requirements, compare them with market realities and develop an effective search strategy so that we can finally present the people who match the requirements.
Action taken
In order to process the work on the project as efficiently as possible, we’ve arranged activities into several stages standard for us:
Stage 1: Acceptance of the order and brief
Before accepting and starting any order, we focus on open communication aimed at knowing our clients’ needs as accurately as possible. Therefore, we strove to physically meet with FEV, discuss the position and development perspectives, as well as specify the terms of cooperation. During this conversation, using our market knowledge, we defined what the customer can expect and how we will divide our work to present the right candidates within a set period of time. After this meeting, the next step was to conduct an in-depth market analysis.
Stage 2: Market research and market mapping
For us, this is one of the most important stages, as it allows us to verify and juxtapose customer expectations with what a given market really has, what it can offer and what competences there are. It is also a starting point and source material for proposing any changes. For this purpose, we used a comprehensive research, analysis of specialized reports, safety standards and summaries, as well as our own experience from the Krakow market (because we assumed that we would acquire candidates without supporting relocation).
Stage 3: Proposing changes in requirements based on market research
During the activities from the previous stage, we gathered market insight, which proved that there are only a handful of people in Krakow that meet the client’s expectations. Market research, however, allowed us to propose changes in the approach to recruitment for this position, and as a result – to expand the talent pool of candidates. The proposed changes were:
- opening to candidates from outside the automotive industry;
- giving up seeking a person with experience with the ISO 26262 standard (there are many other safety standards whose purpose is the same, and the assumptions similar to ISO 26262 – they just apply to other industries);
- narrowing the programming experience of the candidate sought for knowledge of C/C++ (during work he was to be in contact only with microcontrollers, so the only programming language justified by design was just C/C++);
- and also opening to Candidates who in their previous career did not have 100% experience with the issues that the client requires, but whose work specifics enabled them to quickly acquire relevant competences.
Stage 4: Sourcing activities
Knowing who we are looking for and what concessions about the candidate’s profile we can afford, all we have to do now is search! Due to the specifics of the position, we focused on the most known source – Linkedin. We gathered 120 people matching the requirements on the long list (of which about half met the client’s requirements in 90-100%), which we then contacted via email and via Linkedin. As a result of these activities, we have established contact with dozens of people, of whom a few expressed the desire to further talk about the FEV offer.
Stage 5: Screening calls and presentation of acquired candidates
After phone conversations, we presented the client with profiles of five candidates who in our opinion best suited the requirements of the position.
Stage 6: Monitoring the recruitment process
Despite the end of active search for the perfect Candidate, we regularly monitor the further recruitment process (the part taking place on the client’s side). In this case, it was essential because due to the lack of appropriate competences in Poland, the whole process also passed through the company’s headquarters (Germany), and this generated delays, changes and understatements, which we – as an agency – were solving with the Candidates on an ongoing basis. Being in close cooperation with all parties, we saw red flags and were able to intervene quickly, which resulted a very good Candidate Experience, and finally – the employment of an employee.
Challenges encountered and lessons learned
Work on such a demanding position could not do without encountering difficulties and challenges. You can see the relationships between them that make up the specifics of the market:
- In Krakow, there are no people meeting the client’s requirements 1:1, having the above-mentioned competencies of a Function Developer (or at least when we search only by keywords and/or job title;) ).
- Only few people have ever had contact with the ISO 26262 standard.
- Function Owner doesn’t mean the same as Function Developer.
- There are more automotive companies in Krakow than we might think, but at the same time not enough that specialists are perfectly familiar with their offer or have already participated in the recruitment process.
- Indefinite terms of cooperation or prolonged recruitment process (for any reason) affect Candidate Experience and project finalization even more than when recruiting IT employees for non-automotive industries.
Results
The main goal was to find a suitable person and hire them in the newly created Function Development department as soon as possible. We managed to do it in less than 1.5 months! So much time has passed since the order was accepted and the client discussed the details of the position until the candidate signed the contract.
Summary
The implementation of the order was a challenge that we really enjoyed and which allowed us to go far beyond the IT areas that we face in Humeo every day. The client apparently was also satisfied with the work we did, because a few months later he commissioned us with another large project – the creation of the Functional Safety department!
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